Take Steps for the Hikes for Health Challenge

ATLANTA — August 7, 2020 — Ten organizations have joined forces with national recreation retailer REI for a social media campaign encouraging the public to hike, walk, or jog 10 trails in their 10 greenspaces over the next 10 months.  Get ready to put on your athletic shoes for the Hikes for Health Challenge.

Organizations participating in the Challenge – Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Chastain Park Conservancy, Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Dunwoody Nature Center, Friends of Lost Corner, Livable Buckhead, Parks Cobb County, Peachtree Creek Greenway, and Sandy Springs Conservancy – have been integral in boosting the quality of life in various communities through the development of trails, parks, and greenspaces.

Livable Buckhead, a nonprofit with a mission to make Buckhead the kind of place where people want to live and where businesses want to operate, encourages Hikes for Health Challenge participants to enjoy PATH400. This multi-use trail runs along the spine of GA 400 and, once complete, will provide a 5.2-mile greenway through the heart of Buckhead, connecting neighborhoods, office and retail locations with a path for bicyclists and pedestrians. PATH400 will eventually join with the Atlanta BeltLine in the south and trails in Sandy Springs and north Fulton County.

Now more than ever, Livable Buckhead and allied organizations see their beloved trails as part of a prescription for better physical and mental health and a stronger life. Hiking outdoors has been proven in studies to promote heart health, weight reduction, and cholesterol control for adults. Physical activity in nature boosts muscular and brain development, creativity, and mental well-being in children.

Hikes for Health Challenge launches in the metropolitan Atlanta area during National Wellness Month in August from this shared vision of trails by the ten greenspace organizations and REI. Participants are encouraged to use #HikesForHealthREI in social media postings after walking, jogging, or hiking a trail from each greenspace organization. Register for the Hikes for Health Challenge in August to qualify for a $250 REI gift card using the link featured in social media postings for participating organizations and in REI newsletters.

This campaign culminates with the selection of a Grand Prize winner in spring 2021 with a $250 REI gift card plus prizes from the greenspace organizations. Take a step toward wellness and join the Hikes for Health Challenge. For more details and registration, go to https://hikesforhealthchallenge.splashthat.com.

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